It long has been appreciated that the act of travel carries with it a set of problems and challenges that are not usually encountered in typical daily activity. One of the most significant problems engendered by travel is the efficient transport during travel of the personal effects of the traveler. Chief among these personal effects for most travelers is clothing.
As readily can be understood, an individual's choice of clothing is highly subjective. Many individuals invest a significant amount of time and effort into the selection of clothing for daily wear. Often, an individual may accumulate a significant number of articles of clothing so as to maintain a large selection to choose from. Many individuals consider such a selection to be important so as to be able to respond to differing conditions such as changing weather, varying social situations, and the like.
These same considerations, which attend the selection of clothing for daily wear, are equally present when an individual becomes a traveler. The mere act of traveling generally does not diminish the need to maintain a selection of clothing that is responsive to differing conditions such as changing weather, varying social situations, and the like. In fact, these differing conditions frequently are more pronounced during travel than in typical daily activity. For example, travel may involve a higher degree of changing weather than typical daily activity, as when the traveler travels from a warm climate to a cold climate and back again. Another example may be that travel may involve more frequently varying social situations, as may be the case on a business trip. For these and other reasons, a traveler may desire a selection of clothing involving similar numbers of articles of clothing comparable to that available for typical daily activity.
However, the efficient transport of clothing during travel has proved to be a persistent problem. Generally, travel conditions do not afford a traveler the space and organization capabilities that otherwise are available in typical daily activity. Travel conditions often entail a significantly smaller space available for storing clothes than might be available in typical daily activity. Similarly, the options for organizing clothing, for example by size or type, frequently are limited. As a consequence of the limited space and organization capabilities imposed by travel conditions, travelers frequently must make do with a poorly organized, reduced selection of clothing.
Further, the nature of travel may require an organization system for clothing that can be repositioned so as to accompany the traveler during the course of travel. Frequently, the act of repositioning the clothing also may subject the clothing to stresses that may not be present in the types of storage and organization that typically attend non-travel daily activity. These stresses can result in adverse effects such as unattractive wrinkling or folding of the clothing, and such effects can increase in proportion to the number of repositioning events that the clothing is subject to.
This situation readily is illustrated by one age-old solution to the problem of transporting clothing during travel—the suitcase. Most suitcases provide a limited volume of space into which clothing can be stored for travel. Travelers desiring increased storage space for clothing may even resort to the use of additional suitcases. As is easily understood, increasing the number of suitcases also makes travel more cumbersome and less convenient for the traveler. Each time travel is interrupted, for example, by procuring temporary lodging for an evening, the traveler can be required to transport the suitcase to the lodging and unpack it, and subsequently repack and transport the suitcase for travel. Further, most suitcases provide limited organization options for the stored clothing, such as straps, compartments, or dividers. To the extent that organization options such as these may be available, the employment of such options also generally reduces the total volume available within the suitcase for the storage of clothing. Suitcases also subject clothing to confined storage within the interior of the suitcase. This reduces the ease of access to the clothing when use of the clothing is desired, by requiring the traveler to open the suitcase and sift through the stored clothing to find the particular article desired. This also may create adverse folding and wrinkling of the clothing, as storage of clothing within a suitcase usually does not allow the clothing to hang free.
As easily can be appreciated, one of the most frequently employed modes of travel is travel by automobile. Automobiles pose to the traveler all of the challenges just described regarding the efficient transport of clothing during travel. For example, automobiles usually provide a limited amount of space and organization options for clothing during automobile travel. Further, automobile travel generally can involve frequent repositioning of the clothing, for example, when the automobile traveler interrupts travel to procure temporary lodging. Automobiles also pose their own unique challenges to the efficient transport of clothing during automobile travel, such as the specific dimensions and shapes of automobile interiors and the stresses created by the motion of the automobile in travel.
As a result of the circumstances just described, there may exist a long-felt need for a system to organize clothing during travel that effectively minimizes these problems. Numerous attempts may have been made to address this need that, for one reason or another, may have failed to resolve these problems in an appropriate manner. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,833,081, 5,702,010, 5,415,299, 5,219,080, 5,186,341, 4,488,651, 3,918,591, and 3,518,421 each represent an attempt to create a repositionable organization system for clothing. However, each of these attempts fails to address one of the most widely used modes of transportation—the automobile—and therefore fails to effectively capitalize on the travel-related benefits of having a repositionable clothing organization system that can be used therein.
While attempts also have been made to create a repositionable clothing organization system that can be used within the interior of an automobile, the result of these efforts may have been lacking. This may be the result of a lack of full understanding for the unique challenges posed by the automobile for the efficient transport of clothing during automobile travel.
One challenge posed by the interior of an automobile that may not have been fully appreciated is the limited number of options for securing a clothing organization system. While an automobile interior may have a handle or a hook located above a door, this is not always the case. Where such a handle or hook is present, it easily can be appreciated that the precise placement and orientation of the handle or hook greatly varies according to the numerous makes and models of automobiles that have been produced. Where such a handle or hook is not present, it may be necessary to secure the clothing organization system to some other point within the interior of the automobile, for example, a door handle or window frame. Of course, the placement and orientation of these other interior points may also greatly vary according to the make and model of the automobile. Given these considerations, it is easy to see that an effective clothing organization system may maximize the number of possible securement options, so as to be as responsive as possible to the great variety in the placement and orientation of attachment points within the interior of an automobile. Clothing organization systems created prior to that of the present invention may have failed to appropriately appreciate this fact. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,481,483 and 6,488,159 present limited options to connect to an attachment point. The clothing organization systems of each of these patents present only one type of connection member. Further, these connection members are adjustable in only one dimension. As easily can be understood, these clothing organization systems can be less effective in situations where a given connection member will not fit an attachment point within the automobile interior, or where the connection member cannot be adjusted to properly orient with the placement of an attachment point within the automobile interior.
Another challenge posed by the interior of an automobile can be the limited volume of space available for the storage of clothing. It easily is seen that automobile interiors represent confined enclosures of varying sizes. This challenge further is complicated by the fact that such volume of space as exists within the interior of an automobile frequently is irregularly shaped or dimensioned. Given these considerations, it easily can be understood that an effective clothing organization system may need to maximize both the storage capacity for clothing and the adjustment options of the clothing organization system to fit the limited amount and irregularly shaped or dimensioned volume of space within the interior of an automobile. This may include allowing both a full or partial load of clothing as well as supporting and maintaining clothing on one side of the device so as to leave packing space that may be needed for other objects, such as golf clubs, boxes, or the like. Clothing organization systems created prior to that of the present invention may have failed to fully appreciate these considerations. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,778,089 provides only a limited amount of clothing storage space relative to the space available within an automobile interior. The invention of this patent cannot be adjusted through the full volume of space as may be available to allow for a full or partial load of clothing. As readily can be appreciated, this clothing organization system can be less effective in utilizing the fully available space within the interior of an automobile to organize clothing with greater or even maximum efficiency.
A further challenge posed by automobiles can be the stress placed on clothes and clothing organization systems by the motion of the automobile during travel. It is obvious that the maneuvering of an automobile in travel subjects objects placed within its interior to stresses that vary in both magnitude and direction. These stresses include those due to acceleration and deceleration, change in direction of travel, and vertical displacement due to uneven road surfaces. Such stresses also may be compounded by any unusual weight or weight distributions placed on the clothing organization system. These stresses can have adverse effects on both a clothing organization system and the clothing itself. With respect to a clothing organization system, these stresses can cause the system to become disconnected from the attachment points to which it is attached within the interior of the automobile, or may even cause structural failure of the clothing organization system itself. With respect to clothing, these stresses can cause individual articles of clothing to undergo motions that may displace the position of one article of clothing relative to another both on the organization system itself and within the interior space of the automobile. The result of these situations can include the deleterious wrinkling and folding of clothing and a loss of ability to organize or even maximize storage capacity of clothing under travel conditions. Clothing organization systems created prior to that of the present invention may have failed to fully appreciate these facts. For example, each of U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,481,483, 4,778,089, and 6,488,159 to some degree may fail to include any device to support or stabilize the clothing organization system so as to minimize the impact of the stresses induced by automobile travel. Similarly, each of the inventions of these patents may fail to include a device to counter the motions experienced by clothing during travel. These inventions also may fail to provide horizontal and vertical support for any unusual weight or weight distributions that may be placed on the clothing organization system. As easily can be understood, these inventions even may be less effective in mitigating the stress placed on clothes and clothing organization systems by the motion of an automobile during travel.
As discussed, the foregoing problems regarding the transport of clothing under travel conditions may represent a long-felt need for an effective solution. While implementing elements may have been available, actual attempts to meet this need may have been lacking. This may have been due to a failure of those having ordinary skill in the art to fully appreciate or understand the nature of the problems and challenges involved. Such failure of understanding may have included the importance of providing a number of possible securement options, maximizing the storage capacity and adjustability of the clothing organization system, and mitigating the stress placed on clothes and clothing organization systems during travel. As a result of this lack of understanding, attempts to meet this long-felt need may have failed to effectively solve one or more of the problems or challenges here identified. These attempts may even have led away from the technical directions taken by the present invention and may have resulted in the achievements of the present invention being considered an unexpected result of the approach taken.